Evaluation of Grief Therapy Approaches for Bereaved Parents

NCT ID: NCT05142605

Last Updated: 2024-12-09

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

415 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-03-31

Study Completion Date

2026-05-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to compare three types of support programs for parents who have lost a child. The study will see how these support programs affect participants' grief and depression symptoms. The three support programs are called Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy, Supportive Counseling, and Enhanced Usual Care.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Grief Bereavement Cancer

Keywords

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Parental bereavement Parents Elevated prolonged grief symptoms

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Cohort 1: Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy (MCGT)

Participants will receive the MCGT intervention for approximately 4 months or longer as needed.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy is a therapy that focuses on helping participants find a sense of meaning or purpose in participants' life after participants' loss. Parents will be provided (via mail or email) a workbook. This support program will involve 16 sessions that will take place about once a week. Each session will last 60 to 90 minutes and will be delivered through videoconferencing.

Group 2: Supportive Psychotherapy (SP)

Participants will receive the SP intervention for approximately 4 months or longer as needed.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Supportive Psychotherapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Supportive Psychotherapy will help participants cope with participants' loss by giving them a place to express participants' feelings and providing participants with support during the sessions. Supportive counseling will involve 16 sessions that will take place about once a week. Each session will last 60 to 90 minutes and will be delivered through videoconferencing.

Group 3: Enhanced usual care (EUC)

Participants will receive EUC for approximately 4 months or longer as needed.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Enhanced Usual Care

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Enhanced usual care includes any support or resources participants may receive as part of participants' standard care (for example, therapy sessions with a local therapist), enhanced with additional resources.

Interventions

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Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy

Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy is a therapy that focuses on helping participants find a sense of meaning or purpose in participants' life after participants' loss. Parents will be provided (via mail or email) a workbook. This support program will involve 16 sessions that will take place about once a week. Each session will last 60 to 90 minutes and will be delivered through videoconferencing.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Supportive Psychotherapy

Supportive Psychotherapy will help participants cope with participants' loss by giving them a place to express participants' feelings and providing participants with support during the sessions. Supportive counseling will involve 16 sessions that will take place about once a week. Each session will last 60 to 90 minutes and will be delivered through videoconferencing.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Enhanced Usual Care

Enhanced usual care includes any support or resources participants may receive as part of participants' standard care (for example, therapy sessions with a local therapist), enhanced with additional resources.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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MCGT SP EUC

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* A biological, adoptive, step-parent or legal guardian from across the United States who lost a child diagnosed with cancer as indicated by self-report
* Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report
* Experienced the loss of a child diagnosed with cancer at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by self-report
* Elevated prolonged grief (PG) symptoms (PG-13-R scores of 30 or above)
* Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
* English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English.
* What is the participant's preferred language?

°(Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
* How well does the participant speak English?

* Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
* Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.


* Must be age 18 or over as indicated by self-report
* Has been identified by the bereaved parent participant as a support or someone important to bereaved parent
* Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
* English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
* What is the participant's preferred language?

°(Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
* How well does the participant speak English?

* Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
* Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.


* A biological, adoptive, step-parent or legal guardian from across the United States who lost a child diagnosed with cancer as indicated by self-report
* Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report
* Experienced the loss of a child diagnosed with cancer at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by self-report
* Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
* English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
* What is the participant's preferred language?

°(Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
* How well does the participant speak English?

* Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
* Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.


* A biological, adoptive, step-parent, or legal guardian from across the United States as indicated by self-report
* Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report
* Experienced the loss of a child at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by self-report
* Score of 29 or below on the PG-13-R OR lost a child to a cause other than cancer OR child's additional guardian has consented as a Parent Participant and has not provided permission to share participation status
* Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
* English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
* What is the participant's preferred language?

° (Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
* How well does the participant speak English?

* Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
* Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.


* Must be age 18 or over as indicated by self-report
* Has been identified by the bereaved parent training case participant as a support or someone important to bereaved parent
* Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
* English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
* What is the participant's preferred language?

° (Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
* How well does the participant speak English?

* Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
* Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
* Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.

Exclusion Criteria

* Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude completion of the assessment measures, interview or informed consent
* Inability to access a functional device for videoconferencing and declines offer to use a study loaner device as indicated by self-report
* Prisoners
* Participants unable to consent


* Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent
* Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report
* Prisoners
* Participants unable to consent


* Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent
* Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report
* Prisoners
* Participants unable to consent


* Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude completion of the assessment measures, interview or informed consent
* Inability to access a functional device for videoconferencing and declines offer to use a study loaner device as indicated by self-report
* Prisoners
* Participants unable to consent


* Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent
* Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report
* Prisoners
* Participants unable to consent
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Miami

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Wendy G. Lichtenthal

Associate Professor, Pending Rank

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Miami

Locations

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University of Miami

Miami, Florida, United States

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Data Collection Only)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

St Jude's Children's Hospital (Data collection only)

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 305-243-8983

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Wendy Lichtenthal

Role: primary

Talia Zaider, PhD

Role: primary

Lamia Barakat, PhD

Role: primary

Erica Kaye, MD

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

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R01NR019637

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

20230899

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id